Photographing or videotaping infants can present some difficulties. In particular, it can be exceedingly difficult to direct and capture the attention or line-of-sight of an infant toward the camera lens. Consequently, the resulting photograph or video recordation may yield a less than preferable image of the infant—i.e., no eye contact with the camera lens, and thus side shots of the infant's face, or even the top or back of the infant's head.
Accordingly, photographers and videographers (both professional and amateurs, alike) often utilize, and selectively employ, a series of diversionary peripherals or other attention-capturing devices in an effort to direct and maintain the attention, and thus line-of-sight, of the photo/videographed infant toward the camera lens. Such peripherals often include stuffed animals, hand puppets, noise-making devices (e.g., whistles, kazoos, rattles, etc.), flashing lights or other lighted devices, and/or simple directive voice commands. However, and although popularly employed by both professionals and non-professionals, such peripherals and associated methods of administration are ineffective, inefficient and inconvenient for a multiplicity of reasons.
For example, stuffed animals and hand puppets present the obvious disadvantage of preoccupying the one hand whilst attempting to effectively photograph or videotape with the other hand. In that regard, an assistant is often required to “work” the stuffed animal or hand puppet in an attempt to direct the focus of the infant toward the photo/videographer. Manifestly, such an assistant is not conveniently available to a parent (or other lay-photographer or casual videographer) simply seeking to capture images of his/her infant. Moreover, peripherals of this nature, although typically utilized within close proximity to the photo/videographer, obviously cannot be dangled or “worked” in front of, or in substantially close proximity to, the camera lens (at least not without effectively obscuring the view of the camera lens). Consequently, the infant's attention and line-of-sight is directed toward the assistant and/or the stuffed animal, and thus substantially away from the camera lens.
Unfortunately, noise-making devices and lighted devices, together with their associated techniques of use, suffer from largely the same inefficiencies and ineffectiveness attributable to stuffed animals and puppets. Primarily, the infant's attention and line-of-sight is drawn toward the locale or direction of noise or light, and thus effectively away from the camera lens. Furthermore, unfamiliar sounds from such noise-making devices, and/or bright, flashing lights, each otherwise intended to capture a hopeful expression of delight from the infant, may instead have the opposite and undesirable effect of frightening and upsetting the infant, resulting in an undesirable facial expression.
Still further, the foregoing peripherals, and associated techniques of use, are marked with an even more fundamental disadvantage. In particular, such available devices fail to accommodate for the limited visual spectrum and prematurely-developed ocular senses of infants, in general. Stated differently, the complex multi-color patterns and fanciful shapes and dimensions of puppets, stuffed animals, or the like, simply cannot be fully or effectively visually perceived, or otherwise focused upon, by the inherently premature visual senses of an infant. As such, the otherwise whimsical physical attributes of such peripherals, intended to capture and maintain an infant's line-of-sight toward the camera lens, are largely, if not entirely, lost upon the infant.
However, and during the early ocular developmental stage of infants in general, high-contrast colors (i.e., typically black, white and red), and some intermittent shades of grey, are within the immediate and perceivable visual spectrum of infants. Additionally, some simple geometric patterns (e.g., checkered, polka-dot, and spiral patterns) are also within the immediate and perceivable visual spectrum of infants. Indeed, and as the infant's eyesight develops, sensitivity to additional base colors and simple geometric shapes enhances. Consequently, a body or other physical media comprising such high-contrast colors presented in simple geometric shapes or patterns is highly effective in capturing, and maintaining thereupon, an infant's attention and line-of-sight.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for a photographic and/or videographic camera accessory configured to operate within close proximity to the camera lens, and which accessory comprises a selected display of high-contrast colors presented in simple geometric shapes or patterns, to thereby effectively attract, captivate and direct the attention or line-of-sight of an infant substantially toward the camera lens.